Anraku
by Ms. Zeal
Summary: ONE SHOT. Post Shireru. Shiori's sick and Kurama stays home to take care of her.


Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance in this story.

**Chapter 1**

Shiori moaned softly as she lay in bed, pulling the covers more tightly around herself. Kazuya wrung out a cloth in a bowl of cold water on the nightstand, laying it across his wife's forehead.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice quiet. "Of all the days for me to get sick, it has to be the day of your father's funeral."

"It can't be helped," he replied.

"I don't want you to miss it because of me."

"You just rest. Don't worry about anything but getting better," he said, kissing her forehead. He stood and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He walked down the stairs, entering the living room.

Suuichi and Kurama were both sitting on the couch. "How is mother doing?" the redhead asked.

"She's not going to be able to go and I'm going to stay here with her," he replied.

"But, what about grandpa's funeral?" Suuichi asked.

"You two can still go, but I don't want to leave Shiori alone."

"Why don't you and Suuichi-kun go? I'll stay with her," Kurama suggested.

"No, it's my responsibility--" Kazuya began.

"It's your father's funeral," Kurama interrupted. "I'm sure mother wouldn't want you to miss it. Also, I did not have the chance to meet the man while he was alive. You should go. I'll take care of mother while you're gone."

Although looking like he might still argue, Kazuya sighed, finally nodding in acceptance. "Thank you, Shuichi. Come on, Suuichi-kun. We need to hurry to the airport so we don't miss our flight," he said, moving towards the door.

The teenager followed after him. "Bye, Shuichi! I'll see you in three days!" he called, walking out the door.

"Goodbye." Kurama went back to his room, changing out of his dress clothes for the funeral. Slipping into a more comfortable pair of pants and a t-shirt, he went to check on his mother.

Shiori glanced at him as he entered the room, acknowledging his presence.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, removing the cloth and placing his hand again her forehead. _Good, her fever isn't that high,_ he thought.

Shiori closed her eyes as the cool fingers brushed against her warm skin. "Miserable," she groaned.

"I'm sorry, mother," he said sympathetically. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Headache. Stomachache. Can't seem to get warm," she whispered, snuggling deeper into her bed. She sneezed, her mouth open in a silent cry as she raised a hand to her head. A few tears squeezed out from underneath her eyelids, sliding down her cheeks.

"I'll go make you some tea to help with the pain," the redhead said, noiselessly leaving the room. Entering the kitchen, he boiled some water before adding a few crushed leaves from his hair. When it was ready, he took the kettle off the stove, pouring the steaming liquid into a cup and returning back to the room. "Here, drink this," he said, handing her the cup. "Be careful, it's hot."

Shiori accepted the cup, blowing on it before she took a sip. The corners of her lips curved upwards slightly as the sweet-tasting tea slid down her throat, warming her chest from the inside.

"Father and Suuichi-kun went to the funeral," Kurama informed her as she drank the tea.

"Good, I didn't want them to miss it on my account. You could have gone, too," she whispered.

The redhead shook his head. "I don't mind staying home to take care of you."

Shiori finished the drink, handing the cup back to her son. She yawned, feeling very tired. Her eyelids drooped as she looked at her son, suspiciously.

The redhead raised his hands in mock surrender. "I only gave you something to help relieve your symptoms. You're tired because your body needs to rest," he said, smiling.

Not quite believing her son, Shiori closed her eyes, willing sleep to release her from her misery. Kurama slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Around noon, the kitsune walked up the stairs towards his mother's room, carrying a tray which held a bowl of soup and a cup of tea. Balancing the dish in one hand as he opened the door, he moved into the room and set the serving plate down on the nightstand. Despite his coaxing, he couldn't get the brunette to take more than a few bites.

"You need to eat if you want to recover," he chided gently.

"Please, Shuichi. I'm not hungry," she replied, turning her head away.

Kurama sighed. "Very well, mother," he said, picking up the tray. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No."

The redhead nodded, taking the uneaten meal and leaving the room.

He checked on his mother periodically throughout the day, doing what he could to make her more comfortable. He locked the front door and turned off the lights, getting ready to go to bed when an odd noise caught his attention. He quickly made his way back up the stairs, pausing at the top as a slight dizzy spell came over him. Shaking off the feeling, he continued towards his mother's room.

Shiori was in the bathroom clutching the sides of the toilet, her face pale. Kurama knelt behind her, gathering her hair so as to keep it out of her face and rubbing her back soothingly as she retched again.

When she had finished, the redhead wiped her face and brought her a cup of water to rinse out her mouth before helping her back to bed. He had turned to go when her soft voice stopped him.

"Shuichi, wait. Can you stay with me?"

Although a little surprised by the request, the redhead smiled. "Sure," he replied, sitting down next to her.

"You can curl up on the bed if you want."

Kurama looked a little confused at the odd phrasing. "Curl up...?" he started before he realized what she meant. He chuckled softly. "Would you like me to?"

"Please?"

"Alright, but I need to turn off the rest of the lights first," he replied, leaving the room.

Shiori waited, watching the hallway become dimmer as all the lights in the house were extinguished. She stared at the darkened doorway, barely being able to make out the faint outline of her son walking through it and closing the door behind him.

"Do you need anything else, mother?" he asked, remaining by the door.

"No, I just don't want to be alone," she replied.

Although he doubted that was the only reason for the request, Kurama closed his eyes, concentrating. His hair shortened, turning silver as the fur covered his shrinking body. Limbs shrank, bones rearranging themselves to form canine legs as several tails sprouted from the base of his spine. A silver fox sat on the floor where the redhead had stood previously, nine tails splayed out behind him. Shiori smiled, patting the bed next to her.

The kitsune padded across the floor, jumping lightly onto the bed. He circled a few times before lying down on his side and stretching out to his full-length. Shiori brought her arm out from underneath the covers, pulling him closer to her. The fox raised his head to look at her, but did not resist. She turned onto her side, running her fingers through the soft silver coat. "Thank you for staying home and taking care of me," she whispered, her face pressed into the fur on the back of his neck.

Kurama leaned into the soft caress. /You're welcome. After how you've taken care of me, it is the least I can do/ he replied telepathically, sighing contentedly as Shiori continued to stroke his fur. It wasn't long before they were both asleep, the mother's arm resting protectively over her son.

Shiori yawned, opening her sleepy eyes as the sun shone in through the closed curtains. She stretched, feeling much better than she had the previous day. An odd noise caught her attention and she turned, looking at the bundle of silver fur next to her as it sneezed again. The kitsune whimpered softly, covering his head with his paws, as if to relieve the pain. "Oh, Shuichi, I'm sorry," she said, reaching her hand out to scratch behind his ear.

Kurama didn't reply, raising his head to look at his mother, noting that she was finally awake and seemed to be doing better than he was. Liquid amber eyes stared pitifully up into chocolate brown, showing his misery and seeming to be asking her to make it go away. The brunette just smiled sympathetically, running her hand through his fur. The kitsune curled into a ball, resting his head on his paws and flicking one of his tails up to cover his nose as Shiori continued stroking his back.

. . .

**The End**

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